Anew
by Fireflower34
Summary: Harlequin is fully prepared to die for his sins, but then a boy with bond hair and green eyes crashes into his world with a mage by his side and an offer for him. or How King joined the Sins after the canon flashback (Cross posted on Ao3)


"I think you're an honorable king!"  
Harlequin finds it strange for a knight to be comforting their prisoner, and even stranger that he's good at it.  
The fairy doesn't look up, but his tears slow and a smile tugs at the edges of his mouth  
_I'm glad you think that. But there's no way that it's true_  
Helbram flashes through his mind, face twisted with rage, wetting the ground with tears and blood  
_Blood that wasn't __**his**_  
His best friend had been _driven mad_ with hatred right before his eyes, and he had been too blind to see it.  
"_Come set me straight, okay?"_  
That was what he said, so, so, long ago.  
Harlequin clenches his fists, glaring down at the cuffs restricting him.  
A tear lands on the cold metal and slides off at a bump of the carriage  
He's going to be tried, and executed, for Helbram's crimes  
It's the only thing he could do to atone, take the blame for what his friend had done.  
It was his fault anyway, his fault that Helbram was betrayed, his fault that he went insane from the screams that haunted his mind, his fault that he'd vowed to kill every last human for what they'd done.  
His fault, if only he'd _noticed!_ He could've _done something!_ he knew humans couldn't be trusted, if he'd just tried _harder,_ he could've convinced him not to go, spared him the pain, spared him his _life._  
He can barely see through his tears now, more drops land on the cuffs, a few land on his jacket, the one he was taught how to make by a _human._  
Helbram was right in a way. Harlequin will never be able to trust a human again.  
Dozens of fairies, of his _people,_ captured and betrayed, their wings torn away, left to die in agony, by _humans._  
Harlequin didn't realize how hard he was clenching his teeth until his jaw started to ache.  
Another jolt makes him bump into the armor of the knight next to him, who turns his head ever so slightly and shoves him back.  
Harlequin can feel the force of his glare behind the helmet.  
He stares back down at his hands, and unclenches them, the guilt and horror and pain that'd been knotting his stomach drained away, leaving only tired resignation. This was his fate. A fitting one too. He deserved it, after everything he'd done.  
A hand reaches out and flicks away a tear running down his cheek, the sudden movement causing the fairy to flinch backwards.  
It was the boy from before, he realizes numbly, the blond one with those piercing emerald eyes that looked like the Fairy King's forest during a sunny day.  
The thought should've made him feel something, but nothing happened. He felt empty, like there was a void in his chest where his home should've been, where his best friend should've been, where _Diane_ should've been.  
_Diane_  
The thought makes him want to break down sobbing and grin happily at the same time.  
He'll never keep that promise.  
"Hey,"  
The voice is so quiet, Harlequin isn't sure he heard anything at all  
"Hey,"  
The fairy glances up at the boy, he was leaning forward, emerald eyes suddenly dead serious, all mirth gone from his gaze.  
"Something's about to happen, and I want you to follow my lead, okay?"  
Harlequin recoils sharply, slamming his back against the wood behind him, "What? What makes you think I'd trust a _human?!"_  
Something flashes across his face, his eyes seeming to soften a fraction, and he leans back, looking up at the ceiling.  
"Look, I can't read minds, but I have a pretty good idea of what you're thinking."  
Harlequin shakes his head, yeah right, there's no way he would understand  
The boy sighs  
"I'd really like to help, you know."  
That was unexpected  
A human who wants to help, it'd be touching if Harlequin had believed him.  
"But you'd have to accept it. So, about the thing that's going to happen. It's going to happen soon."  
The fairy glances at him again, wiping the tears from his eyes to get a better look.  
He wasn't staring at the ceiling. No, the tilt of his head, the look on his face, he was...listening to something.  
Harlequin listens too, curiosity temporarily piqued, but settles back down when he hears nothing.  
Just what was this human doing?  
Not important, He reminds himself, what was important was atoning for his sins, and he can do that by dying for Helbram's crimes.  
"It'll happen in thirty seconds."  
Harlequin blinks at him in confusion and irritation. Again, like he was going to trust a _human_ after all they've done.  
"You'll need to run, dive out the window, preferably on my signal."  
The words are just barely audible, and Harlequin tries to ignore him, but there's something in his voice that sets him on edge.  
He wasn't really going to do what this boy told him, was he?  
No, no he wasn't  
"5 seconds"  
No way he was about to go leaping out the window, it'd seem like he was trying to escape, and that the _last_ (well, pretty close to last) thing he wanted to happen. He deserved the punishment, he won't shy away from it.  
"4 seconds"  
He was stupid for considering it, and the boy was stupid for thinking he'd listen.  
"3"  
Nope, he refused  
"2"  
He wasn't going to  
"1"  
No  
"Zero."  
The last whisper barely left his lips when the whole carriage was shaken by an explosion.  
Huh, he wasn't lying  
Interesting  
"Sir! Something just attacked us!"  
"You three! Go outside and investigate!"  
"Yes sir!"  
There was the thumping of feet, then another explosion, much closer now, the carriage shuddered, wooden boards creaking and snapping.  
"Sir! We have to evacuate!"  
"Go! Get out of here!"  
The boy glances around, then reaches out and quickly crushes the cuffs around Harlequin's wrists. "There. ready?"  
The fairy just stares at him in astonishment. since when did humans develop such strength?  
Another explosion rocks the carriage, drawing alarmed yelps from the fleeing knights.  
Harlequin coughs as dust fills the air, trying to breathe without getting it into his lungs, and nearly missing it when the boy says "Now"  
There's a flash of yellow as the child streaks past him and tumbles through the window, landing safely on his feet.  
"Wha-"  
Another explosion blows the left side of the carriage to smithereens, and he sees the boy mutter something under his breath.  
Well, he could always get 'captured' again, and public execution would be much more fitting than death by explosion.  
He half jumps, half floats through the window. Touching the ground just as the whole carriage explodes behind him, and he's yanked backwards suddenly, landing on his back in the grass.  
"What was that f-"  
Harlequin cuts himself off when he catches sight of the boulder-sized, white-hot mess of metal and wood that'd landed exactly where he'd stood seconds before.  
Well then  
Did a human just save him?  
Harlequin levitates a few inches off the ground and dusts himself off, shooting a confused glance at the boy, "T-thank you?"  
The child grins, like he didn't just jump out of a burning carriage with some fairy he was previously escorting to prison.  
"Don't worry about it! I'll have to tell Merlin to be more careful next time. She probably got carried away."  
Wait, he _knew_ the person that caused this?  
"_You_ were behind the explosions?!"  
Harlequin shoots a few feet higher into the air, out of range of the sword all holy knights carried, his arm immediately out for Chastiefol.  
Of course, there was nothing there. His spear had been taken when he was captured.  
The boy links his arms behind his head and leans back calmly, looking up at where the fairy was hovering. "Not exactly. Merlin was the one who cast the spells. But I guess the plan was my idea."  
Harlequin didn't think that was much better. He planned the attack? To drop bombs on a carriage full of people? To kill his own kind?  
He took back everything he'd thought before. Humans were horrible (not like he didn't think that already)  
"Why? What business do you have with those knights? Aren't you one of them? You just betrayed your friends! Maybe even killed some!"  
_Like I did to Helbram_  
Maybe he didn't like humans, but he didn't want them to kill each other either.  
The boy tilts his head, green eyes bright and sincere as he gazes up at the angry fairy. "I trust Merlin. She got them out safely. I'm sure she did. Oh! And I think this is yours!"  
He drops his arms from his head and darts a few feet away, fumbling to lift something long and shiny out of the grass.  
His spear!  
Harlequin's arm shoots out, and immediately yanks it out of the boy's hands, pointing the tip at his head.  
"See? I knew it was yours. Only a fairy king would have a spirit spear, right?"  
_How_ was he so _calm?_  
He had freaking _Chastiefol_ pointed at his head. One flick of Harlequin's wrist and the boy would be dead.  
Yet he just stuffs his hands into his pockets and smiles up at the fairy like they were old friends.  
What was _with_ him?  
Still, humans can't be trusted, he'd learned that much.  
This one was weird though. First, he comforts the captive he was bringing to be executed, next, he was warning him of the explosion, then, was saving him from falling debris, and reveals he was behind the explosions, then freaking _hands him back his spear._  
"So, I have a proposal for you."  
Harlequin doesn't react. There's no way he was going to accept it.  
"We-" A flash startles the fairy, and suddenly a woman in a violet is standing next to the boy, who is completely unfazed.  
"Hey Merlin! You went a little overboard with the explosions. He almost got hit."  
The kid nods up at Harlequin who narrows his eyes in suspicion. This was Merlin then? The one who attacked them?  
She regards him with cold eyes, studying the way he hovered, the angle of his arm, the spear pointed at her friend, Harlequin stares back at her, trying not to flinch under her calculating gaze.  
"Sorry about that Meliodas. It was the perfect opportunity to gather some data on those new spell orbs, I couldn't resist."  
"Still with the experiments huh? Well, you're just in time! I was about to explain our mission."  
Mission?  
Why do they think he'd care about a human's problems? This was getting really strange, Harlequin wanted answers.  
"Is that so? Well, Fairy King, King Bartra of Liones had a vision, that seven sinners would come together to protect Britannia. Meliodas and I have been searching for them, and according to my extensive research, you are just who we're looking for."  
It if was possible to jump midair, Harlequin definitely did.  
"What? That's ridiculous! Why should I trust you anyway? After what your race did to us!"  
His left hand clenched into a fist, his right held firmly in front of him,  
"I should follow you just because you told me that some old king had a vision? Well you also told Helbram that he could trust you! And then look what happened!"  
His vision is going blurry again, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.  
His right pointer finger twitches and he lets Chastiefol float a little closer to - was it Meliodas?  
The idiot _still_ doesn't move.  
In fact, he's looking up at Harlequin, face thoughtful.  
Merlin glances at Meliodas, seems to realize what he was thinking, and takes a step back.  
"I'll let you take over, Captain."  
Captain? This kid?  
Meliodas nods at Merlin, tilting his head up at Harlequin, and the fairy glares at him through his tears, certain that nothing he said would change his mind.  
'_He saved your life'_  
That meant nothing. It was his job to lead him to be tried and executed publicly. A private death wouldn't work.  
"Helbram was your friend right?"  
"My best" He replies curtly  
"And humans killed him?"  
"No." He turns away, refusing to acknowledge the tear that made its way down his face.  
"You did."  
Harlequin jerks back to stare at him.  
Meliodas's eyes meet his, a surprising gentleness in the green depths. There was no contempt in his voice, no accusation. A simple fact, but he seemed confident in his conclusion.  
"How-"  
"You probably hate it. Like the guilt is going to eat you alive. Because you could've saved him. You could've. But you were too late."  
"Are you trying to make me feel _worse?"_  
Those emerald eyes never left his own, but something shifted in them as he spoke.  
"You hate them, don't you. I don't blame you. Humans can be terrible."  
Harlequin opens his mouth, maybe to yell at him, maybe to agree, he's not sure.  
"Harlequin, this won't mean much right now, but you _can't change a thing._ She-he's gone, and you're here, and there's nothing you can do."  
The fairy stares at the ground and lets his right arm go limp.  
"Humans might have done it. But if you condemn their entire race because of a few idiots-well, that won't end up so good."  
Meliodas shrugs, "If I tried to convince you it wasn't your fault, you wouldn't believe me. So I won't. Instead, I have an offer. Join us. Spend the rest of your life atoning for your sins, by saving others, the way you couldn't save your friend."  
He smiles a bit sadly, "I think you'd fit right in with the rest of us."  
Harlequin is quiet, what he said was true, accurate as well. And he noticed the pain hidden behind that smile, could tell Meliodas spoke from a similar experience.  
Seven sinners huh? Like him.  
He couldn't save Helbram, he couldn't save his home or his people, and he would never be free of the guilt, but he did want to atone. Maybe this was his chance.  
Spend his life saving others, maybe then, he could die knowing he did some good after all.  
"Alright"  
He drops his arm, lets Chastiefol drift away from Meliodas and back to his side as he floats down to their level.  
Merlin smiles at him, "Welcome to the team."  
Meliodas grins, "Great! That makes five! Just two left to go!"  
Harlequin blinks at his enthusiasm, it was...refreshing. And before he knew it, a small smile makes its way onto his face as well.  
"Oh! One more thing," Meliodas turns to face him again, green eyes shining in his excitement, "What do you want us to call you? Given what happened, Harlequin probably won't sound right for a while. And I doubt you want to be called Fairy King."  
Harlequin pauses at this. He's right again. This name wasn't him anymore.  
A new name, a new start, even if his sins would stay, maybe this life, he won't have to bear them alone.  
"King. Just King. Nothing else."  
Merlin nods in approval, "King. I like it. Enough of your old life to carry over to your new one."  
Meliodas holds out one hand, "Merlin might've already said this, but now it's my turn. Welcome to the team, King."  
The fairy shakes it, wiping his eyes as Meliodas pulls him towards Merlin, "Come on! We gotta introduce you to the others!"  
King turns Chastiefol into pillow form as Merlin's magic whisks them away in a glimmer of golden sparks  
Maybe this time, it'll be better.


End file.
